


Serendipity

by End_Transmission



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: And there will probably be mentions of sex but nothing explicit, But there will always be swearing!, F/M, M/M, Some Slash, Some f/m, There will be fluff, some happy, some sad, there will be angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-05 21:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10317689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/End_Transmission/pseuds/End_Transmission
Summary: A (probably small) collection of one-shots detailing the lives of the Tres Horny Boys as roommates in a modern day-style AU. There will be some cute. There will be some sad. And there will be requests!





	1. Meet The Roommates (Taako Has a Date!)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Welcome to Serendipity. 
> 
> You've already read the summary, so you know what it's about! In case you missed it, this will be a collection one-shots of Taako, Magnus, and Merle as roommates in a modern-day AU. Other characters will appearances at random. Don't worry, he isn't here yet, but I do adore Angus and he will make it in somehow. 
> 
> I don't know how many one-shots will be in this piece at this point. I have the chapter below, and a second chapter planned out that may very well go up tomorrow. Here's your warning now...the second one-shot will have angst! 
> 
> Otherwise, I'll draft them up as they come to me. If you enjoy what you see of this collection so far, and have a suggestion of a scenario/memory/etc you'd like the boys to be subjected to, feel free to mention it either in a comment, or in a message/post on my tumblr at Pyroweasel.tumblr.com. I am not making any promises, my muse can be finicky and my willpower touchy at best. But please feel free to throw those requests my way! They may end up as a piece in this collection! And if not, I'll still probably cry to you about how great of a request it is. :) 
> 
> For now, please enjoy this first piece. In this piece, we get an introduction into the boys and how they came together. And Taako gets ready for a date! (But for once, he's not as confident as he usually is.)

People didn’t often look at them and immediately think ‘roommates.’ It wasn’t surprising, the truth is their coming together was a very strange act of serendipity.

And Craigslist.

Okay, it was mostly Craigslist. But, the fact that they fit together so well despite their vast differences…that had to be the serendipitous part.

After all, Taako was young, prone to lying, and often hilariously offensive. Unlike Magnus, his lies were usually for his own self gain. He was also closed off, hated being touched, especially by surprise, and hated nothing more than sappy moments. Usually. He was a vibrant, showy man who often chose clothes of the same caliber. His fashion choices had sometimes been called strange, although never by his roommates. That was just Taako being Taako. And they wouldn’t have him any other way. Because for all his apparent flaws, he had a way of showing he cared in subtle, often buried ways. But when he cared, somehow it meant more than when other people did. Magnus and Merle knew that, for all he might deny it, he cared about them a whole lot.  

Magnus was the second oldest. Not too far out of Taako’s age range, but enough that the difference was clear. He was loud and gruff, with a stature to match. He could be blunt, but he was the most likely of the three to lie to spare someone’s feelings. There had been a time or two when Taako and Merle had found themselves fixing Magnus up, icing bruises and stitching small wounds, as he was never against fighting for someone who couldn’t fight for themselves. Living in a busy city, it wasn’t all that rare for him to wander across such poor souls. He, very much unlike both of his roommates, was also fond of hugs and physical comforts.

Merle was the oldest of the three, jokingly referred to as ‘dad’ more than once or twice. Similarly blunt and extra gruff, he was somehow amazingly good at going with the flow. Of course, that usually meant that he was the one to say “I don’t care” when the boys were trying to decide on dinner, and being similarly indecisive in other situations, but it couldn’t be all good. He was okay, most of the time, with receiving a Magnus hug although he preferred to keep them short. He was quick to remind the other boys to do their chores, dammit, but was also happy enough to do his own. He also had a way of giving good advice.

Usually when it wasn't asked for.

They worked well together, over all. Magnus was prone to fighting and rushing into situations that were troublesome. Merle had a habit of being flat out rude at times. Taako could be exceptionally lazy and had a touch of kleptomania. But they accepted their differences with brother-like teasing and occasional fighting, and lived more or less happily together.

All that being said, though, Taako would never have thought to go to either of them for fashion or dating advice.

After all, he was a confident and rather handsome young man, and he knew it. People were lucky to score a date with him, and he made sure they were aware of it. His fashions might be a bit out there to most people, but they were very him and he knew he looked good in whatever he chose to wear. If anything, the other two should be coming to _him_ for fashion and dating advice.

Not that they ever did. Neither could give a rat's ass about fashion, and neither was interested in ever dating again.

All that being said, things were very different when Taako slipped his number to the very cute grad student who'd collided with him one day on the subway. It had been, in his opinion, adorable. The man had stuttered and stumbled, grabbing down blindly for the briefcase he’d dropped. Taako had picked it up and handed it over, giving the man a wink.

“If you wanted to talk to me darling, you could have just asked,” he’d said, chuckling when the blush had managed to reach the man’s dark cheeks.

“No, no, uh, sorry, total accident. So sorry. Should have been paying attention to where I was going. Excuse me,” the man had said, moving to dodge around Taako. Raising an eyebrow, Taako had reached out and grabbed his arm, quickly letting go once he’d gotten the man’s attention back.

“Now hold on there, my dude. How could you not be interested in all this?” Taako had asked, gesturing at himself. At the other’s flustered look, he’d given him an easy grin. “Tell me your name, at least, huh? Least you could do after nearly knocking me on my ass, huh?”

“It’s…Kravitz. Now, I’m sorry, this is pleasant and all but I really must get going, or I’m going to be late for my next class.”

“Sure, sure. Wouldn’t want you to be late for all that schooling business. Important, I guess. But, hey, name’s Taako,” with that, he’d pulled out a small piece of paper with his number on it.

_(Why, yes, he did carry a few of those at all times, for just such occasions.)_

“Give me a text or something sometime, huh? You’re an interesting fellow, Kravitz.”

Kravitz had looked a bit surprised, but had taken the paper with an owlish blink. “Er, right. Yeah. Maybe I will. Uh, nice to meet you, Taako!” The last had been said as he’d all but ran away. The paper, Taako was glad to see, still clenched in his hand.

Taako had been surprised to find himself...well, not nervous (he didn't do nervous) but impatient for a text from Kravitz. And very, very pleasantly surprised when it'd actually come. An invitation to a play, something Taako generally enjoyed but didn't often get a chance to see. Also a bit of a cheat of a first date, if he were honest. A little more freedom than a movie theatre, but still, not much of a talking environment. But he didn’t turn it down. Hopefully that little bit of Taako exposure would be enough to keep Kravitz coming around.

And so, one Tuesday night found Taako standing in the bathroom, one hand up and tangled in an attempt to style his hair, while the other worked furiously to apply just the right amount, right kind, and right style of makeup. A flared skirt was half pulled up around his waist, and his top half was still bare, a pile of shirts haphazardly spread over the towel rack behind him.

Merle and Magnus were bemused, to say the least. Taako had always been a rather graceful, well put-together man (physically if not mentally, anyway). This, therefore, was the most scattered either of them had ever seen him. And it was more than a little worrying. They watched quietly from around the doorway for awhile, hearing muttered curses and noises of aggravation coming from their friend.

Then, they glanced at each other, and moved in.

"Alright boyo," Merle said, "crouch your tall ass down here and let me see your hair. Pretty sure you've got it nested...you trying to chase this guy off?"

Meanwhile, Magnus was looking over the various shirts, glancing between them and Taako.

"What're you two doing? Did I invite you into my private space? Can't you see I'm busy dolling myself up?" Taako asked.

Merle just cleared his throat, beckoning at the taller man.

Taako let out a long-suffering sigh, grabbed his makeup brushes and mirror, then sat on the toilet, back turned towards Merle. The older man moved Taako’s hand out of the way and began to work at the other’s hair. For a man with the sort of thick digits Merle had, he was surprisingly deft at styling hair.

Taako took the opportunity to finish up his makeup with both hands, finishing off with a bit of golden powder on his eyelids.

He looked up when Magnus shifted around the other two to stand in front of Taako, holding both shirts up. “Well,” he said, “I vote for one of these two.”

Taako gave him a dry look. “I appreciate you trying to help, my dude, really. But I’ve already looked at all of those shirts…and I’m _Taako_. What makes you think _you_ could pick one out for me when I couldn’t decide for myself?”

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Because, Mr. Fashion-forward, _you_ are all flustered and nervous about your date” he drew out the word pointedly, “and are clearly not thinking right. So, it’s my job to tell you that either of these shirts will work very nicely with that skirt, and both are _very_ Taako.”

Taako looked between the two shirts again, frowning a bit this time. “Well of course they’re _Taako_. They’re mine, aren’t they? You really think I’d buy anything less than completely worthy of being on this body? No siree. And I am not flustered, thank you very much. This Kravitz guy is lucky I agreed to go on a date at all.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Magnus asked, “If these and the others are completely worthy of you, and you’re not nervous, then why are you having such a problem picking one out?”

“I’m just not sure they’re quite...well, to use your darling terminology, _Taako_ enough,” Taako said, rotating his hand flippantly. He glared at Magnus, however, when his roommate let out a bark of a laugh. “What?!”

“I get it. Look, Taako, here’s the deal, right? You must really see something special in this guy if you’re this nervous-“

“Not nervous-“

“ _Nervous,_ ” Magnus continued, ignoring Taako’s interruption, “but any guy worth his salt is gonna like you for who you are. Yeah, yeah, I know, sappy shit,” he said, flipping both men off, “but it’s true. So do what you do best, choose which shirt makes you look absolutely fabulous, and then go and rock this guy’s socks off. Am I right, or am I right? Merle?”

“He’s right bucko,” Merle agreed, “just be yourself and all that crap. And try this on for size!”

Taako huffed and stood, looking in the mirror, turning his head back and forth to get a good look. Merle had, much to his great surprise, made his hair look pretty…well, fabulous. It was pinned up in such a way that left some strands of it falling down around his face and shoulders. It was fun and flirty and just the kind of look he’d had in mind.

“Well,” he said with a light hum, “I think I can rock this look. And you know, you guys are right.” He straightened, going over to Magnus and plucking one of the shirts away, tugging it on. He freed the hair that got trapped beneath with a flip. “I’m gonna impress this guy right out of his seat. He’s never gonna forget his first date with Taako, that’s for damn sure!” He made sure his outfit was wrinkle-free and firmly on his body, gave his hair another brush with his hand, then practically sashayed towards the bathroom door. He laid a hand on the doorframe, then glanced back at the other two.

“You two do pretty okay when you try,” he said, before looking back forward, “so, you know, thanks.”

Once he left, Magnus and Merle looked at each other with matching grins and clapped their hands together in a high-five.


	2. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this ficlet, Magnus remembers. And the other two boys do their best to pick him up in his grief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> Here's the second ficlet of this collection. This one is a bit more angst-driven then the last. 
> 
> As a reminder, if you have any requests for ficlets, send them my way! 
> 
> Enjoy!

The date comes insidiously. It always does. There is a noticeable shift in the air as early as the beginning of the week. As the date itself comes nearer, the shift becomes a heavy weight, especially on Magnus’s shoulders. Taako and Merle, however, can feel it too.

Of the two of them, Merle is the one who becomes a bit more careful around Magnus. He doesn’t tease him as much and makes an effort to never be cruel. When Magnus seeks quiet companionship, it's Merle he goes to find. Often, the two of them can be found simply sitting in the same room, not talking, Merle reading a book and Magnus whittling something out of wood. Magnus finds that it’s somehow better than being alone, even when they don’t say a word at all.

When Magnus wants to be kept busy instead, it’s Taako he goes to. Taako isn’t as careful as Merle is. He seems to try to keep things more or less par for the course, teasing and prodding at Magnus just the same as always. That being said, Taako never shoos Magnus away if the burly man seeks his company during this week of the year. Their activities vary. Sometimes, Taako brings Magnus along shopping with him, both for groceries and for clothing. Other times, Taako invites Magnus to cook with him, having the burly man help him with the more strenuous tasks like chopping and stirring. Magnus likes it, because it keeps him busy.

Both boys do their best to help Magnus keep the dark thoughts at bay. Neither of them is perfect, but Magnus appreciates it anyway. Because it does help. Even if just a little bit.

Back when they’d first found out, he’d only known both of them for a couple of months. And really, he hadn’t intended on them finding out. After all, it wasn’t something you talked about with acquaintances.

At the time, it had been four years. Although the three years before had been miserable, he had somehow convinced himself that he’d be fine. That he could soldier through the day without too many problems and, if necessary, just take some time to himself in the evening.

He’d been wrong.

He had made it through the rest of the week okay, but when he woke up on the day of the anniversary, it had been under the darkness of a familiar, heavy cloud of renewed grief. Interacting with the other two while pretending that he didn’t feel like someone was constantly digging around in his chest had been near impossible. And though they could both be incredibly dense most times, both men had picked up on it. They’d found him when he’d gotten a small chance to himself, sitting at their kitchen table.

“Say amigo, hate to break it to you, but you’ve been moping around like a kicked dog all day. You gonna spill, or just gonna leave us guessing?” Taako had asked, flopping down at the table across from Magnus. Merle wasn’t far behind. He had grabbed a seat and spun it around, sitting in it backwards to look at Magnus as well.

Magnus had grimaced.

“Sorry fellas. Guess I didn’t sleep much last night, so I’m kind of tired today, you know?” He hadn’t lied exactly. He always slept poorly around that day, especially the night before.

“Uh huh,” Merle had said, raising a bushy eyebrow at him, “okay. Now, you wanna try telling us the truth instead?”

“Not really,” Magnus had responded. He felt a little bad, knowing the words came out biting. But he really hadn’t wanted to tell them. Partly because he didn’t know if that was the kind of thing you told…whatever they were to him then. Mostly, though, it was because telling meant reliving it. And at the time, the last thing he wanted to do was start crying in front of those two.

“Well listen, yeah? You might not want to, but you know, you’re a pretty big, intimidating guy. If this is you like, I don’t know, going rogue serial killer, I think it’d just be polite to warn us, huh?” Taako had said.

“No, it’s not-” Magnus had sighed, leaning back and running a hand through his hair, “it’s not like that. Alright, look. I don’t want to go into it, okay? But…I had a wife. I loved her a lot. And today’s the anniversary of when she died. So. It’s kind of a hard day for me.”

At first, they were quiet. About what Magnus had expected, really. Neither of them were especially sentimental, emotional people. What on earth were they going to say to that?

“Eh, that’s uh, that’s pretty rough man,” Merle had spoken first, “sorry to hear it. Can’t say I blame you for being a bit down in the dumps, in that case.”

Taako was quiet for a bit longer, before he suddenly huffed and stood, walking around the table. Magnus was concerned, wondering with a sudden panic if the man was about to hug him or something. That, he decided in that instant, would be just too weird. Taako never initiated hugs, so far as he knew then.

He was suitably surprised, then, when the other man leaned over and rapped his knuckles on the top of Magnus’s head.

“You should have just said something, my dude. Look, you know how I feel about all this sappy shit and all that, but, I definitely understand the whole wanting to be alone shtick, you feel me? Next time, just say something like, ‘hey knuckleheads, need a day to myself here’ and you won’t hurt our feelings,” Taako had said.

“Look, I didn’t want you guys avoiding me like I had the plague or something. I didn’t want to be a downer and, well, didn’t really want to be alone all day either,” Magnus had protested.

“Well, say that then. Look, lying is good and all when it’s self-serving. But sometimes it’s bad too, ya dig? If we’re gonna make this whole roommates thing work, we should probably try being honest with each other at least some of the time. Like in this kind of situation,” Taako had responded.

“And you never know,” Merle had added, “maybe we could help.”

Magnus had found out since then that, yeah, his friends were surprisingly supportive. Over the three years now that they’d been roommates, the other two found that he often reached a tipping point during this time. And yet, they had never judged him for breaking. Whether that came in the form of yelling and screaming at the universe or sobbing quietly in his room alone, they never judged him.

They could both be obnoxious, blunt, and even cruel. But in this, Magnus knew that they were there for him.

He can remember the day clearly. He very much doubts he'll ever forget even a single detail.

There had been a cake in the oven. It had been the main focus in his mind, and he had spent the entirety of the day frantic about it. Because Magnus was good at a lot of things, but baking wasn't something he'd ever really tried. But that day he had wanted to. He’d tried to make a special treat, made of all of her favorite flavors, for his wife's birthday.

They'd had a special night planned. She'd had work during the day and had been unable to get it off, but the night would be for them. He had ordered take-out from her favorite restaurant. He had the cake cooking in the oven. He planned on a serenade, a foot and backrub, a bath she could share with him-or not, if she preferred to enjoy it alone. He'd had plans. He'd had wanted to make it one of the most special birthdays of her life.

He hadn't planned for the car crash.

He hadn't planned on an unexpected visitor, a cop in uniform. The man had been soft-spoken and apologetic. It hadn’t made a difference.

He hadn't planned on losing her that night.

This year, he finds, is a bad one. He wanders out with Taako to run a few errands, and finds that every feminine voice, every shadow on the ground, every half-seen figure around every corner reminds him of her. He finds that no matter how hard he tries not to look, Julia is everywhere.

When they get back home, he leaves Taako and goes to his own room, closing the door behind him. This year, he doesn’t seek out either man for the rest of the day. He doesn’t know why it hurts as bad as it does, some seven years later, but for one reason or another he feels especially wounded and raw this year.

And then, at six pm, he relives the exact moment. He hears the words, loud as if someone were really there speaking them. The daggers that say Julia, the one person who meant everything in the world to him, is dead. He feels again the sudden, cold chill that starts at the base of his neck and goes all the way down to tingle at the tips of his fingers and toes. He breaks out in a cold sweat, hyperventilates, his heart both races and thumps loud in his ears.

It passes less than a minute later, but leaves him feeling newly raw. This is something that happens every year. Sometimes, numbness replaces the chill and leaves him more or less broken for the rest of the night. It leaves him too far out of his head to really know (or care) where he is, let alone hold any sort of conversation.

Other times, he sobs. Tonight is one of those nights. He finds himself sitting on the edge of the bed, face buried in his hands, shoulders shaking violently and tears falling from his eyes, through his hands, and onto his legs below.

He sobs for what was. He sobs for what might have been. But mostly, he sobs for her. He sobs for her life, for her place in his, for the hole in his heart that hasn't even begun to heal, even after all this time. He sobs because he misses her. Because even though she's gone he can still so often hear the whisper of her voice in the wind, or see her in his dreams.

He sobs because there is a part of himself that is lost forever.

He is like this for a while before he feels warm weights settle against his sides. Taako is leaning against one side, soft and light. Merle against the other, heavier and strong.

They don't hug him, really. It's more as if they've made a Magnus sandwich between them. As if they'd both just happened to lean a little bit too much in his direction.

But it's enough. It's so very them that it's comforting, just like that. It doesn't stop his sobs, doesn't ease his renewed grief. But it reminds him that he's not alone. On some small level, deep inside, it helps.

He cries himself to exhaustion. Almost like drinking too much, he doesn’t really remember lying down or falling asleep. That's normal for this day. What's a little irregular this year, though, is that when he wakes in the morning, he's not alone.

Taako and Merle had come to comfort him like this last year, too. When he’d woken up then, he had found that his socks and pants were removed, leaving him in his shirt and boxers. The blankets had been tucked up around his head, as though he was a child whose mom had put him to bed. On any other day, it might have been weird. Especially being stripped down to his boxers. But for this one day, somehow he just didn’t mind. Another subtle reminder that for all their roughness, his friends cared a whole lot.

He’s a bit surprised, then, when this year he finds he’s still fully dressed when he wakes. When he looks to his sides, he sees why.

Taako is curled up and asleep against his left, cat-like in his slumber and looking exceptionally comfortable, considering the man's usual aversion to touch. He slumbers quietly, Magnus finds, his middle moving up and down in soft, puffy breaths.

Merle, on the other hand, is asleep at Magnus's other side. He’s lying on his back, spread eagle, his arm up by Magnus's collar bone and soft snores escaping his slightly open mouth. Magnus thinks he might be drooling a little bit. It’s kind of gross, but it’s mostly endearing.

They've never stayed with him over night before. But Magnus finds that he likes it. It warms him, shakes away the left-over sorrow that rests on him like a hangover. He looks at them both, a soft smile on his face. He shifts his left arm until it is resting just slightly under Taako's head, and his right until it is suitably as much in Merle's business as the elder man's arm is in his, and then he settles back in.

Julia must be looking down on him, he thinks. And for all that she must be scolding him for his continued grief, she must also be very happy. Magnus had somehow managed to find these two ruffians and, turns out, they were the best friends he could have ever made.

_You would have liked them, Jules._

Magnus swears he can hear a whispered word of agreement in the silence of the morning. When he slips back into sleep, he’s smiling softly. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any suggestions or, again, any requests, feel free to comment below or at Pyroweasel.tumblr.com.
> 
> Thanks guys! 
> 
> End_Transmission


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